CLAUDIO BRIZI harpsichord & organ Graduated in organ and organistic composition with W.v.d.Pol at the Morlacchi Conservatory in Perugia, then specialized with J.Uriol, M.Radulescu, M.Morgan. Also studied harpsichord with A.Conti at the G.B.Martini conservatory in Bologna. Guest of some of most prestigious musical institutions in the world, he carries on an intense concertistic activity as a harpsichordist, organist and conductor. Composer himself, since many years Brizi takes particularly care of the study of this century's musical expressions, collaborating with famous Italian and foreign composers, some of which dedicated compositions to him. He carries on activity of musicological and organological research. He teaches organ and organistic composition at the Giacomantonio Conservatory in Cosenza and leads postgraduate courses. His discography ranges from the late Renaissance to the most recent expressions of the Avantgarde. PANOCHA QUARTET Formed in 1968, while its members were still students at Prague Conservatory. 1975 won 1st prize at the Prague Spring International String Quartet Competition. Since that times the Quartet has achieved international fame progressing from one triumph to another. The Quartet has participated in major international festivals. 1976 awarded the Bordeaux Gold Medal and in 1982 came a Supraphon Gold Disc. 1983 the Grand Prix Academy Charles Cross was received in Paris for the recording of Martinu's Quartet Nos. 4 and 6. Panocha Quartet places particular emphasis on Czech music, especially the works of Smetana, Dvorak, Janacek and Martinu. The Quartets follows the great Czech string quartet tradition, founded by the Ceske (Bohemian) Quartet and continued by the Smetana, Janacek and Vlach quartets. Jiri Panocha, 1st violin Pavel Zeifart, 2nd violin Miroslav Sehnoutka, viola Jaroslav Kulhan, cello JÖRG EWALD DÄHLER conductor Studied with S.Savoff in Bern and with F.Neumeyer at Freiburg University. He won a number of prizes such as Jurg-Stucki Prize and the Prize from Bern City. Since 1962 he has taught cello, chamber music, harpsichord, general bass and improvisation at Konservatorium Bern. He has been active in conducting regularly the religious chorus music, which are rarely played, as music director of Bern Chamber Chorus. 1987 Dahler's Lukas-Passion was played in the audience great expectation at the Bern Munster. His records prized by critics, for TV, radio as well as concert tour in Europe, Japan, Argentine, and also master classes in Europe and Japan make his name international. He has been on the faculty of Konservatorium Bern. FUMIAKI KURIYAMA Choral director Fumiaki Kuriyama (b. 1942) is one of the most active and famous choral conductors in Japan. He has gained his reputation by excellent performances of contemporary Japanese works, his energetic commission activities, and his phenomenal marks in the All Japan Chorus Competition. He was awarded the Grand Prix in Tolosa International Choral Contest (Spain) in 1994, and European Grand Prize of Choral Chant at Arezzo (Italy) in 1995, with Coro Kallos. He was invited to the Oregon Bach Festival (USA) in 1992, to the Polyphonic Choir Meeting in Citta di Fano (Italy) in 1993, to the third World Symposium on choral Music (Canada) in 1993, and In 1996 (Sydney) He was invited to the Tolosa International Choral Contest in 1998 to sit on the jury. KAZUYUKI TOYAMA Music Director Professor Kazuyuki Toyama graduated in Aesthetics from Tokyo University in 1944 and in 1946 commenced his career as a music critic. He continued his studies in music at the Paris Conservatoire under Norbert Dufourcq and at the University of Paris under Jacques Chailley from 1951 to 1957. From 1949 to 1951 he taught at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and from 1958 to 1973 at the Toho Gakuen School of Music where he was President from 1995. He held various posts successively which included Director of the Tokyo Metropolitan Festival Hall (Tokyo Bunka Kaikan), chairman of the Committee of the Japan Music Competition and vice-president of the New National Theater. He is at present chairman of the Japan Music Pen Club, an honorary member of the International Association of Music Critics and president of the Documentation Center of Modern Japanese Music Foundation. He has been a member of the jury for many International Music Competitions (Tokyo, Paris, London, Lisbon, Sidney, etc.). His selected works have been published in six volumes and he has been decorated by the Japanese and French Governments, in addition to receiving several awards for his distinguished contributions to music. I SOLISTI DI PERUGIA It is an orchestra of considerable soloists of the new generation who share the same assumption in playing music: an exacting and rich in details performance of classical and modern music, from Baroque to contemporary music which conveys to the audience substance and essence of musical works. Any musical generation discovers again the heritage of classical music and opens it to the perspective of its time. Perugia Soloists seek their way in the performance of classical repertoire: beyond the Romantic cliche and particularly historicizing musical praxis, they try to tie their own approach of genuine joy and performing passion to a well-pondered textual accuracy. Apart from Boccherini or Hindemith, Beethoven or Petrassi, Perugia Soloists have a wide repertoire and consciously refuse any limitation to a certain historical sector. During their concerts, in fact Perugia Soloists show how great musical works of different times complete themselves. In different performances they have in fact done of variation their own principle. This way they aim to realize different interpretations of style, to achieve on all occasions something fruitful and new. SEOUL SINFONIETTA Seoul Sinfonietta is a professional String Ensemble Orchestra established by violinist Kim Young Zun in December 1987. Since its Foundation Concert in April 1988, it has held more than 350 concerts, partly with invited Korean and International player of top level. Its repertoires cover a broad range music from the ones of classical period to the contemporary ones. Along with domestic activities it was also invited by international music societies such as the Milstadt International Music Festival and Salzburg Place Music Festival. For those concerts the orchestra received high recognition by music jornals, presses, and columnists there. Presently, Seoul Sinfonietta, more than half members of it have the background of education in foreign countries, is holding more than a dozen of concerts every year. They are mainly the ones for subscribed members and special event concerts such as Environmental Preservation of the Earth. Seoul Sinfonietta is doing its best to fulfill its social responsibility in the sense of music and education for ordinary people, by holding concerts for next generation musicians, for industry workers and their families, and especially for those who usually cannot find any chances to visit a music concerts. Seoul Sinfonietta wants itself to be characterized as a Chamber Ensemble with an artistic spirit to lead and clutivate the Korean music society. YOUNG ZUN KIM, violin The violinist Yong Zun Kim belongs to a selected group of privileged musicians who can divide their time between teaching and flourishing careers as a soloist and a chamber musician. His educational background at Seoul National University and Vienna Music Hochschule later, he studied conducting at Russian Gnesin's Academy with prof.V.Zinovev from the latter of which he graduated with honor (Prof, F. Samohyl). He started his professional career by winning the first prize the Dong-A Music Competition, the most prestigious and respected in Korea. His energetic artistic activity both as a soloist and as a leader of chamber orchestra has been acknowledged by numerous awards such as "Nanpa Award", "Musician of the year Award" , "Korean Musicians Prize", and the "New Renaissance Award" at the 17th World Peace Youth Culture Festival in Osaka, Japan from SGI. He has appeared as a soloist with Frankfurt Chamber Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra, Donetsk Philharmonic Orchestra, and Kiev Chamber Orchestra, among others. After serving as a Concertmaster of Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra for 15 years, he is now the director of Seoul Sinfonietta and Professor at the University of Seoul.